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Topic: WARNING TO SHROOM FARMERS (Read 6095 times) |
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rick
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WARNING TO SHROOM FARMERS
« on: May 13th, 2002, 10:41pm » |
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I went to a Home Depot today searching for vermiculite. They carry Scotts brand gardening products. I was told by an employee that Scotts discontinued vermiculite as a product about a year ago, and he didn't know why. So they didn't carry any brand of vermiculite, which I thought was a little odd, with Home Depot being the world's most obnoxiously oversized (but cheap) chain of stores on the planet.
So I went to my local True Value, the little guy of the home improvement stores. No vermiculite there either, they didn't carry it at all.
So I went to this giant garden center that carries absolutely everything plant related under the sun. I asked three employees working near each other if they carry vermiculite. They all turn to me and one of them says "No, it's not produced any more because it causes cancer". Huh? "Yeah," says the next one, "you don't want to handle the stuff". Oh? "It has asbestos in it" says the third.
I left it at that, I really didn't want to explain to them that I had CH and was trying to grow shrooms.
Does anyone else out there know of this? I've found these links to start:
http://www.vermiculite.net/
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/asbestos/verm.htm
http://www.epa.gov/oppt/asbestos/insulation.htm
Many of the links from the EPA will not show up on my Mac, unfortunately. I am concerned for all out their who have been using vermiculite to produce substrate. It is apparently not available where I live, but I hope everyone else takes notice of this and uses caution.
Sensei Pinky: Is their an alternative subtrate that can be made into cakes for the PF Tek method? Can you use perlite in place of vermiculite?
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pinksharkmark
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Re: WARNING TO SHROOM FARMERS
« Reply #1 on: May 14th, 2002, 1:21pm » |
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Quote:| So I went to this giant garden center that carries absolutely everything plant related under the sun. I asked three employees working near each other if they carry vermiculite. They all turn to me and one of them says "No, it's not produced any more because it causes cancer". Huh? "Yeah," says the next one, "you don't want to handle the stuff". Oh? "It has asbestos in it" says the third. |
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Sigh. I thought this foolishness had finally been put to bed. I know that certain WalMart stores in some areas had stopped carrying vermiculite a year or two ago because of this rumor, but I was unaware others had jumped on the bandwagon. Let's look at this one point at a time.
1) Vermiculite does NOT cause cancer. It is NOT asbestos, it is a mineral related to mica. If you were working in a vermiculite mine or in a processing plant, though, you would probably want to wear a filter to keep from breathing in a lot of it, just as you would if you were working in a cement plant or a textile plant or any other dusty environment. If you are just using it in your garden or for your houseplants, there is no need. It's just dust.
2) Vermiculite most certainly IS still being produced. There was a vermiculite mine in the US that was shut down over ten years ago because the mine contained traces of asbestos along with the vermiculite. But the ones at risk were the miners, not those who bought the vermiculite produced in that mine. The actual amounts of asbestos mixed in with the vermiculite were extremely small. But it is a moot point anyway, since there has been no vermiculite available from that mine for over a decade.
3) Even asbestos doesn't cause health problems unless it is INHALED over lengthy periods of time... typically decades. Just touching it won't give you problems. Again a moot point since scores of tests by everyone from the EPA to the OSHA to consumer groups to ... well, you name it... have proven over and over again that the vermiculite sold by ALL of the mines in the world which currently produce vermiculite is completely free of asbestos. Not even trace amounts. Zero. Zip. Nada.
This vermiculite shortage is a regional thing, anyway. For some reason it seems certain regional managers of certain big chains have not received the news that there is NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER, which has made life difficult for horticulturists, but vermiculite is still being sold in most areas of the US. You may have to order online if every supplier in your area has succumbed to this urban legend. There are dozens of online suppliers who provide it. Or, maybe telephone a relative in another area and get them to ship some to you.
As for substituting perlite for vermiculite: not really possible. It sort of works, but not really well. Perlite will hold water, true, but it also gives it up into the air far too readily (which is why it is ideal for a passive humidification system), so dehydration of your cakes is a very real issue. Also, perlite is pure white... as white as the mycelium itself, so it is almost impossible to monitor the growth of the mycelium.
My advice -- get some vermiculite shipped in and don't worry about it.
pinky
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| « Last Edit: May 14th, 2002, 1:26pm by pinksharkmark » |
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rick
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Re: WARNING TO SHROOM FARMERS
« Reply #2 on: May 14th, 2002, 5:23pm » |
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Thanks. Sorry if that was a false alarm then. I did find some available online last night, and at that point I was thinking WTF is going on ????
I was concerned about whether or not to trust the first link that I gave. Thanks for the clear up Pink.
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Elizabeth
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Re: WARNING TO SHROOM FARMERS
« Reply #3 on: May 14th, 2002, 9:44pm » |
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hmmmm.... I bought a 4 foot tall bag of medium grade vermiculite just 2 weeks ago... great for gardening! Also was in Home Depot today - they had lots of vermiculite available.
Just FYI....
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rick
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Re: WARNING TO SHROOM FARMERS
« Reply #4 on: May 15th, 2002, 12:06am » |
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Elizabeth-
I see from your bio that you live in Wisconson. I live in Chicago, so this is odd. Maybe I just need to cross the border for a vermiculite run.
I would think a corporate chain like Home Depot would have some form of communication to straighten something like this out, but oh well. I might just order some on line, since I trekked around the city yesterday to find nothing.
Thanks,
-Rick
P.S. I did pick up some dirt cheap plants for my deck there yesterday. I guess it wasn't a total waste  .
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